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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29128791">Fall Into the Dark—</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sentient_Stove/pseuds/Sentient_Stove'>Sentient_Stove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Among Gods and Mortals. [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Italian!Virgil, M/M, Virgil child of Theodon, big scary climax, hestia being the cryptic goddess lmao, ooh, roman has a bad day, virgil makes a few bad choices</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:20:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,261</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29128791</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sentient_Stove/pseuds/Sentient_Stove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Virgil... he does what's best for the people he loves, even if it means losing himself in the process.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Among Gods and Mortals. [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fall Into the Dark—</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/daughterofapollo2399/gifts">daughterofapollo2399</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>sorry...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil blinked.</p><p>There was a girl- maybe thirteen years old at a fire pit.  It would have been normal for the place, but the only thing was that she wasn’t wearing a camp shirt like how everyone else was.</p><p>He made his way over to her and sat down at the small bench.  She ignored him, still taking care of the fire or something as Virgil waited.</p><p>When she finally turned, Virgil almost fell off his seat.</p><p>“Hello.”  She smiled warmly and sat down next to him, folding her hands neatly into her lap as Virgil recovered from the fact that her eyes looked like living ember.</p><p>“Hi.”</p><p>“You’re far from your home, aren’t you?”</p><p>Virgil swallowed nervously.  “Yes.”</p><p>She smiled softly.  “I wish I could help you, after all, the hearth is where a home is.”</p><p>“Oh, are you a god?”<br/>She looked at him and tilted her head.  “What do you think Virgil?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>She laughed and held out a hand.  “Perhaps.  May I see your wounds?”</p><p>“I mean, they’re kinda nasty.”  Virgil shrugged and rested his palm up in her hand.  “Sorry.”</p><p>“I’ve seen worse.”  She turned the wrapped hand over in hers and shook her head.  “Your ability would have done less damage if you had worked up to a powerful point instead of trying to be everything at once.”</p><p>“A kid was dying…”  Virgil trailed off.  “I didn’t have a choice.”</p><p>She sighed and released his hand.  “You have many choices Virgil, and I’m afraid that you’ll choose the ones that hurt you the most.”</p><p>“I know.”  Virgil looked her in the eyes, storm meeting fire.  Her expression shifted the tiniest bit and she blinked.</p><p>“Interesting.”</p><p>And before Virgil could ask what was so interesting, Roman was calling for him and the girl who tended the fire was gone from her spot beside him.</p><p>...</p><p>Virgil shook Roman awake three nights later.</p><p>“Ro, get up.”</p><p>Roman blinked sleep out of his eyes as Virgil shushed him and pulled him to a sitting position.</p><p>“Wha?”</p><p>“I can get us home now.”  Virgil said in a hushed whisper and Roman blinked again.</p><p>“Your hands are good?”</p><p>Virgil nodded excitedly and showed them to Roman, who took them in his grip, running a thumb over smooth, healed skin.</p><p>“Damn, let’s go then.”</p><p>He was almost dressed when he paused.  “Shouldn’t we wait until morning?”</p><p>Virgil shook his head.  “No, I already wrote a note and stuck it to the door, we can go and we won’t have to worry about Chiron convincing me to stay.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Virgil snuck them out and down the porch, heading across the dark camp while holding Roman’s hand.</p><p>It wasn’t until they were at the field that Roman noticed how pale Virgil was.  </p><p>He stopped his walking and Virgil almost fell.</p><p>“You’re not doing okay, are you?”</p><p>Virgil froze and his hand slipped out of Roman’s as he let out a nervous laugh.  “I’m doing great, we get to go home!”</p><p>“Something’s off,”  Roman took a step forward and reached for Virgil’s hand, "let’s just wait for the morning.”</p><p>Virgil took a step back.  “But—”</p><p>“What are you hiding?”</p><p>…</p><p>Virgil looked past Roman’s shoulder, catching a glimpse of someone standing behind his boyfriend.</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>Roman took another step and Virgil made eye contact with the two faced god, who was flipping a coin with a sly smile on his face.</p><p><em> Choose. </em>  </p><p>Virgil let his shoulders slump as Roman finally got close enough to reach out for him.   “Okay, let's go back, I lied.”</p><p>Roman’s face furrowed in confusion.  “About what?”</p><p>Virgil looked up, tears filling his eyes.  “About who’d be going home.”</p><p>Before Roman could react, Virgil pushed him, both hands in the center of Roman’s chest, sending the taller stumbling back a few steps.  Virgil lunged forward and grabbed his boyfriend’s hands, holding back a yell of pain as he spun them around, tossing Roman in a void of shadow that he opened up.</p><p><em> “Virg—!” </em>  Roman cried out, one hand reaching for him as he was sucked in by the shadows, a look of hurt and betrayal clear on his face.</p><p>The void closed and Virgil sank to his knees, panting.  A hand came to rest in his hair and Janus’ voice slithered around his ears.</p><p>“Now, <em> that </em> was an interesting decision.”</p><p>“Fuck off.”  Virgil choked out in a sob.  The hand pet his hair before disappearing as the god crouched next to him.</p><p>“I’m sure Olympus will find you quite the entertainer.”</p><p>Virgil let out another broken sob and shook his head.  “Just leave me alone. <em> Please </em> , no more games or doors, <em> please </em>.”</p><p>“Very well.”  Janus was gone and Virgil fully let himself break down, crying in an empty field.  His hands were probably fully shot as he let the small bit of his power that he’d be using to forcefully change the reality of them fall away, blood flowing freely down his arms, pooling on the ground, no doubt attracting every harpy in a three mile radius.</p><p>At least Roman would be home.  He struggled to his feet and set off in the direction of the Oracle’s cave, silent tears streaming down his face as he left behind a trail of crimson.</p><p>…</p><p>Roman woke up in a crumpled heap on his front lawn.  He sat up and cursed, struggling to his feet and limping to the door.   </p><p>He must’ve busted his ankle when he landed.  Roman reached up and rang the doorbell, waiting as someone came to answer.</p><p>“I swear, if you’re just another—”  The door swung open and Remus stopped cold.</p><p>“Ro?”</p><p>Roman shrugged.  “Hey bro.”</p><p>Remus blinked.  Then he practically unhinged his jaw and gave a screech and dove at Roman, tackling him back in a hug onto the grass.</p><p>“You’re alive, fuck, Roman.  Don’t ever do that to me again!”  Remus sobbed and pulled his brother close.  “You scared me, I thought someone gutted you and ate your heart before burning your body into itty bitty ashes and scattered them.”</p><p>Roman hugged him back and all the pent up fear that he wouldn’t get home broke, as he started to sob, rocking them back and forth.</p><p>“I’m sorry!  I didn't want to get stuck..”  Roman choked out as he buried his face in his brother’s shirt.  Home, home, home, <em> safe </em>….</p><p>
  <em> “ROMAN!” </em>
</p><p>Roman looked up to see his mother rushing out to hug him and Remus as well, her face red as she also started crying.  </p><p>“God, I thought you and Virgil were dead!”</p><p>Another pair of arms wrapped around them and Roman dimly recognized it as his father.  The four of them stayed in a huddled group like that for a long time, just crying and when his mother and father pulled back from the hug, Roman almost broke down again.</p><p>“Honey...”  </p><p>Roman looked at his mom. </p><p>“Where’s Virgil?”</p><p>Roman closed his eyes, few traitorous tears slipping out and running down his already tear stained cheeks.   “He’s not coming back.”</p><p>Remus placed a hand on his brother’s chest, right over one of the bloody hand prints that were in the center of his shirt.  “Did he die?”</p><p>Roman took a shuddering breath.  “I… I don’t know.  He risked himself so I could get back.”</p><p>His mom folded him into another hug and Roman silently mourned.</p><p>In the morning he’d have to talk to a series of detectives and police, in the morning he’d have to call Tessadora De Rossi and tell her that her son was dead….</p><p>But for now he mourned in the arms of his family.</p>
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